A Moonlit Nigh
by Kin Ryu
Summary: A wolf is loose on the grounds ...


A Moonlit Nigh  
by  
Kin Ryu  
  
The great wolf fell to the ground and howled in pain as antlers pinned its back down, forcing him to stay. Its head snapped about, desperately trying to reach the offending rack or the neck of the animal owner. Out of the corner of its eye, barely distinguishable from the night about the pair, a black dog of impossible size jumped on it and sank sharp teeth into the neck left exposed in his struggle. Pain ripped through its tail at the same time as small incisors found their way through fur.  
  
The stag released it and placed one heavy hoof between protruding shoulder blades. Circling carefully, the black dog lowered its head and growled threateningly. Golden bright eyes followed heavy paws as they stirred up the dust and leaves of the late September night; eyes that reflected the full moon.  
  
Assured of the wolf's calmness, the hoof was lifted from its back. Not two seconds had gone by when the rat was no longer on the wolf's rear, but hanging from its mouth by the tail. The rat squirmed and squeaked in panic, attempting to curl itself up enough to nip the black lips from which it protruded. Turning its back, the wolf took off.  
  
With a howl and a snarl, the black dog tackled the wild beast to the ground. Clamping its teeth down on an ear and snapping its head around just enough to tear it, the black dog rolled into a ball with the wolf who had released its prey. At an adrenaline driven speed, the rat tore across the grass and jumped onto the legs of the approaching stag, clambering its way up the moving appendages. The stag lowered its antlers and bellowed as it charged the patch of fur in the night.  
  
Before the dog had managed to untangle itself from the grey wolf, it was thrown into a tree with his foe. Yipping, the dog landed three feet away as a branch came and hit it solidly in the side, bruising ribs and cutting skin. The stag pranced away, dancing around the branches which threatened its rump. It fell to its side as one caught antlers and twisted the stag's neck sharply. Laying prone on the ground, it was hard to tell if it was still alive but for the soft rising and falling of the chest.  
  
The wolf rounded aggressively on it, lips drawn and teeth bared. It glanced quickly at the dog before clasping its mouth around the stag's leg. A hollow bellow rung through the grounds as the stag kicked out violently, tearing its leg while the fangs were forced from its skin.  
  
Jumping over the stag, the black dog ran its shoulder into the wolf, throwing it to the ground. Before it could recover, the dog was on it, baying and seizing savagely at its face. The wolf threw its paws up, trying to use its strength before the bigger dog wrestled down.  
  
The stag raised its head and watched as the moon slipped lower to the lake water. It bugled and attempted to stand on its lame leg, falling forward and pitching the rat from its back.  
  
Dog against wolf, the two fought; each one looking for an opening of some sort, each one attacking relentlessly, one for blood, the other for dominance. The wolf swung its head up and away from the maw of the great dog. The canine arced its neck swiftly and brought teeth to rest on the wolf's jugular. The wolf murmured its annoyance at this defeat deep in its throat.  
  
Behind them, the stag gave its whistling bugle again and stamped the ground with its good foot, rising again to its legs. The rat scurried over to it, glancing at its leg and using nimble paws to pluck wolf fur away from the cuts. The stag lowered its head and licked carefully around the wound, squinting slightly when its tongue ran over the rip. The night grew silent and ever darker in the few minutes it took the moon to fall below the horizon.  
  
Judging the situation, the dog backed away, allowing the wolf to rise. It approached the rat, licking its long tongue over the rat's neck and face as an apology. Turning to the stag, it lowered its head and inspected the wounds; they were not deep enough to draw blood, only enough to sting. The dog waited patiently as the rat climbed onto its neck, using the long fur of its mane for pawholds. Whimpering softly, the dog came around from the stag and followed the subdued wolf to the tree that had previously attacked them.  
  
Jumping down from its mount, the rat slipped its way expertly amongst the branches and hit a knot of wood in the tree's trunk. The limbs froze suddenly, as if they had been paralyzed and the wolf slipped into a hole now visible below it. It turned its head quickly to give the dog a lick on the face as the dog returned. Before the tree could be reanimated, the dog and rat turned their backs and went back to the stag; in its place sat a boy with shaggy hair and glasses, holding his injured arm to his midriff. 


End file.
